As a new product line, Nord uses the same formula that has made past OnePlus smartphones such a big hit with buyers in the country. It both looks and works just fine. Read our review to find out more about it.
OnePlus Nord is arguably one of the most anticipated smartphones in recent history. The phone’s tag of being an affordable mid-ranger made sure there was quite a lot of hype around it leading to its launch. Unlike the OnePlus X from the years gone by, Nord saw OnePlus coming out in full force to bring this phone to the world. In many ways, the birth of the Nord was a typical OnePlus affair. There were a lot of teasers, even more leaks and in the end a blockbuster launch event this one was in augmented reality (AR) where the device finally became nuts and bolts reality. However, something felt different. With the Nord, the company appeared to be making a massive effort to not only reach out to the audiences but more importantly also form a connection with them. Instead of launching a product that would just work for the OnePlus fans, there appeared to be a clear attempt at reestablishing a lost connection with them. Among other things, the OnePlus Nord also appears to be a device that’s crafted for the buyers in India. Despite its minimalistic, Scandanavian design language and name, the phone looks like it’s tailormade for the average OnePlus fan in India. This is something that massively reflects in the pricing strategy of the OnePlus Nord. The phone starts at a price of Rs 24,999 for the 6GB+64GB RAM and variant and goes up to Rs 29,999 for the top-end 12GB RAM and 256GB storage one. At this price, it not only makes the Nord the most affordable OnePlus smartphone in the country right now but also helps it target a segment of the market that it had slowly vacated over the last few years. As a new product line, Nord uses the same formula that has made past OnePlus smartphones such a big hit with buyers in the country. In essence, the OnePlus Nord promises all the same things that the more expensive OnePlus flagships offer. We have the same flagship-like performance, and refined software experience paired to an attractive design albeit now being provided at a much more affordable price than we have seen in the recent past. We’ve had the OnePlus Nord, with us for over a week now. Here’s what we think about it. While the overwhelming chatter about the phone has revolved around the idea that it is an “affordable” mid-range phone, in reality, it doesn’t fit the bill. This is because the OnePlus Nord looks and feels very much like it belongs to the premium category of devices. The device carries forward the company’s premium burden-less design philosophy that OnePlus had introduced with the uber-premium OnePlus 8 series of phones. So from the minute you open the OnePlus Nord’s retail packaging, and lay your hands on it, the device starts to impress you with its silky curves and well-machined design. Much like other premium segment devices available in the market right now, the OnePlus Nord also captures your attention and makes you believe that it is a far more premium device than it actually is. And this despite the fact that OnePlus has not equipped the phone with fancy curved displays or frosted glass back panel. Despite the lack of such key premium elements on the Nord, the device still manages to look premium with its minimalistic design language that impresses with its attention to detail and quality of finish. The basic design elements, including the finish of the back panel, the vertically placed camera set-up, the placement of the OnePlus logos, and the general attention to detail for example with the quality of the material used on the alert slider all help to make the Nord feel like an extension of the premium OnePlus phone line-up of phones, and not just a new line-up under the OnePlus brand name.
